Breaking bad: Chatting with '24' mole Rhys Coiro

By Rick Porter

    

February 24, 2009 6:45 AM ET

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Monday's 24 featured a big turn of events in the season's plot, helped along in no small part by FBI analyst Sean Hillinger.

Sean (Rhys Coiro) was revealed as a mole in Col. Dubaku's terrorist plot at the end of last week's episode, and it didn't take long for the good guys to catch on to him. A desperate Sean shot and killed his accomplice/mistress (Ever Carradine) in an effort to cover up what he had done, but Chloe's (Mary-Lynn Raskjub) impeccable skills on a computer foiled his plan.

Coiro, best known for playing temperamental director Billy Walsh on Entourage, says he found out his character was compromised shortly after the writers strike ended last year (24 had filmed about a third of this season before the strike). "I remember first starting out and Sean was something of a blank slate," he says. "But watching the show he does seem like a suspicious fellow from hour one. I think he started out as sort of a red herring character, and then he turned out to be, you know, the actual herring."

As for whether Jack Bauer and Co. are done with Sean, Coiro will only say "never say never."

You can read the full interview with Coiro at the L.A. Times' Showtracker.